This invention relates generally to a lens retaining appliance and more particularly to a lens retaining appliance for use in a device for the cleaning, storage or disinfecting of contact lenses, or the like. The appliance of the invention allows for more convenient access to the contact lenses retained therein and hingedly opens and closes using integrally formed over-center hinges and stabilizing hinges, and can be economically fabricated by conventional molding techniques.
A variety of contact lens storage/cleaning devices are available which are capable of retaining a pair of contact lenses in a lens retaining structure to thereby captively immerse the lenses in a contact lens storage/cleaning solution disposed within a container. Many of these contact lens cleaning cases provide a basket-like structure to retain the contact lenses yet allow cleaning solution to come into contact with the lenses by passing through openings between basket-like webs or spokes. These basket structures are hingedly attached to a base or body structure which is associated with a cap for closing an open end of a container which holds the contact lens storage/cleaning solution.
Typically, the basket-like structures are hingedly attached by a freely moving hinge consisting of hinge knuckle members which mount over hinge pins. Use of this type of freely moving hinge for a contact lens retaining basket structure is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,610 to Ryder, U.S. Pat. No. 4,637,919 to Ryder et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 3,770,113 to Thomas. While in all of the above applications the freely moving hinge structure achieves its intended purpose, the basket-like structure must be held well away from the base or body structure in order to remove the contact lens.
Moreover, in prior art contact lens cases, the lens supporting surfaces are usually positioned on opposing sides of a lens supporting frame portion. Commonly this lens supporting frame is attached to a cap which is used to seal the open end of the container while the contact lenses are immersed in the solution disposed within the container. The baskets generally open upwardly away from the base towards the attached cap. Hence, the basket-like structure must be held out of the way and, because the lenses are retained on lens supporting surfaces relatively closely proximate the cap, removal of the lenses is difficult in the limited space provided under the upwardly hinged basket.
The problem of removing contact lenses from the lens supporting surfaces which are commonly convex partially hemispherical structures is compounded by the fact that the lenses tend suctionally to adhere to the lens supporting surface upon removal of the lens retaining structure from the contact lens cleaning solution. Therefore, in the prior art contact lens cases, with the lens supporting surfaces oppositely attached to a central supporting frame, it is necessary to reach into a relatively limited space to remove the contact lenses and peel the lenses away from the lens supporting surfaces.
Due to the foregoing difficulty, users of this type of contact lens case often invert the lens retaining structure to reach the suctionally adhered lenses more directly to eliminate the need to hold the baskets out of the way. While this provides a partial solution to the problems as noted above, it creates another problem in that the covers often interfere with the removal of a contact lens adhering to the lens retaining structure as the lens retaining structure is maneuvered in one hand in order to grip the contact lens with the other hand. The best solution would be to provide a cover which is retained in an open position and not freely hinged. Also, any fluid left on the lens retaining structure after removal from the lens cleaning solution tends to drip off of the structure as it is manipulated to get at the contact lens or accumulates in the cap and overflows the cap edge.
The present invention, as will be detailed more fully hereinafter, overcomes the above-described problems. More specifically, the present invention provides a contact lens case which permits convenient removal of contact lenses disposed therein and provides hingedly attached lens retaining structure covers which remain open without assistance, and lens supporting surfaces which are positioned so as to provide maximum clearance for reaching in to remove contact lenses therefrom.